Knesset Members from the Joint List decided on Monday, April 20, to currently turn down an invitation by the Arab League for a meeting at the League’s headquarters in Cairo. After holding internal consultations at their weekly meeting, the List’s MKs said that the timing was not right for such a meeting, as they presently prefer to focus on issues related directly to the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel. However, they said, they will reconsider the proposal in the future.

From right to left and top to bottom, the first ten then-candidates (now MKs) from the Joint List: Ayman Odeh, Masud Ghnaim, Dr. Jamal Zahalka, Dr. Ahmed Tibi, Aida Touma-Sliman, Abd al-Hakim Hajj Yahya, Hanin Zoabi, Dr. Dov Khenin, Taleb Abu Arar, and Dr. Yousef Jabarin. Not in picture are MKs 11-13 from the Joint List: Dr. Basel Ghattas, Osama Saadi, Dr. Abdullah Abu Marouf. (Photo: Channel 2)

The Arab League has shown great interest in the Joint List – which has become the third-largest party in the Knesset – and is keen to hear its views on political developments in Israel. The invitation was relayed last Saturday night by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Joint List leader MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash).

Some members of the Joint List – composed of Hadash and the Arab parties – are wary of attempts by the Palestinian Authority and Arab pro-imperialist reactionary regimes to curb their activity. The Joint List garnered a strong 13 seats in the March 17 elections, making it the third-largest party in the Knesset after the Likud, with 30 MKs, and the Zionist Union, with 24.